City tracking Óliver, the 'other' Torres

Diego Pablo Simeone was desperate to take Atlético to the Champions League and he can now give himself a pat on the back, because qualification has been secured.

Another of the Argentine's targets is to nurture the club's young talent, in particular Óliver Torres, the jewel in the academy crown, who has been pushing hard for a place in the senior set-up. This, too, has been a success. Simeone has seen to it that the starlet has been able to blossom away from the limelight, taking off every inch of unnecessary pressure and letting nature take its course.

However, with Óliver now looking to take the plunge into regular first-team action, the sharks have begun circling. A host of other clubs are eyeing up the youngster and tracking his development.

One such club is Manchester City, which has been keeping close tabs on Óliver Torres since he was 16. It has now stepped up its attentions to such an extent that, with Óliver beginning to cut his teeth at 'La Liga' level, it has decided to watch him strut his stuff on the big stage.

On Saturday a City scout was dispatched to La Coruña to size up the midfield starlet. The man in question was none other than Spaniard David Fernández, formerly of Celtic, who combs his homeland for talent on behalf of the Manchester side.